Wilmington, NC News

Archive for March, 2012

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — A new report will test whether nationwide signs of economic improvement are reaching North Carolina.

Tuesday’s scheduled release of unemployment data for January is the first release in nearly two months of North Carolina jobless data. The record-keepers took February off as they re-examined calculations that went into last year’s figures. That could mean significant changes to unemployment estimates that have previously been reported.

The state Commerce Department said North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped a fraction in December to 9.9 percent, sliding just out of the double-digit range for the first time since June.

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The latest report on North Carolina’s unemployment rate paints a darker picture of the state’s economy.

The state Commerce Department reported Tuesday that the unemployment rate in January was 10.2 percent, much higher than the national average of 8.3 percent.

The announcement is the first release of North Carolina jobless data in nearly two months. There was no report last month as calculations that went into last year’s figures were re-examined.

The result is that earlier estimates of North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropping below 10 percent in December are being revised.

The new estimates are that the state’s unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in November and December before falling to 10.2 percent in January. The state unemployment rate in January 2011 was 10.5 percent.

WILMINGTON, NC (NEWS RELEASE) — A new housing report out today indicates foreclosure rates in the Wilmington area are on the rise. These figures, coming from CoreLogic, show foreclosure rates in December 2011 at just over 2 3/4%

While that’s up from this same time last year, the Wilmington rate is actually lower than the national foreclosure rate.

That rate sits at over 3 1/4%.

The report also says homeowners are having trouble keeping up with their house payments.

The local mortgage delinquency rate is at nearly 6%, more than it was at this time last year.